Ship Highlights

• Large casino with slot machines and round-the-clock action
• Nautica Spa, featuring a gym, exercise classes, and massage treatments
• Americana Lounge theatre staging Las Vegas-style revues
• Broadway-themed Promenade
• Bars and lounges, including Rick's Cafe American and Tahiti Lounge
• Kids activities at Camp Carnival with virtual reality machines
• Sushi bar and European-style cafes
• Galleria Shopping Mall
• Three swimming pools and a winding waterslide
• Health-conscious Nautica Spa menu options

Overview

It's hard to believe that Holiday was only the second ship actually purpose built for Carnival's trademarked "Fun Ship" cruising -- and she's the oldest one left sailing (Tropicale, built three years earlier in 1982, was Carnival's first new-build). At 46,000 tons, Holiday was considered a mega-liner in its day. Now she is considered "intimate."

And yet: Holiday represents a watershed in the incredible growth of Carnival Cruise Lines, a bit of history for them -- like most historical figures, when their name and the word "history" are uttered together, it's a sign they are beginning to show their age.

Much of Holiday's design and architecture were considered bold and innovative when the ship was launched. Cabins, both inside and oceanview, were larger than virtually any low- or mid-priced vessel afloat. The deck plan was asymmetrical -- port and starboard sides of public room decks were not mirror images. Architect Joe Farcus' interior design elements -- a bright and bold color palette, liberal use of chrome and other reflective surfaces, and the whimsical use of found objects or creation of familiar objects in gigantic scale to establish themes for public rooms -- diverged radically from the tradition of designing ships to be elegant, serious and calming in their ambience. Although, to be honest, compared to his later efforts, Holiday almost seems tame!

Nowadays, most would find many of Holdiay's design elements commonplace or outmoded. The ship's complement of suites is only 10 -- out of a total of 726 cabins or about 14 percent -- and they have the only balconies onboard.

Another design wrinkle is the placement of the ship's two restaurants and galley; putting them on a deck that includes other public rooms creates a major passenger flow issue. Passengers seeking the ship's shops, library, piano bar, or the entry level of the show lounge can only get there by using the forward most stairway or elevators. If they choose either of the other two (mid-ships and aft) they will find their way blocked.

The ship is also showing its age in wear and tear. Reflective metal surfaces are dulled or scratched, much of the carpeting is worn or stained, and reflective coating on windows is peeling in many spots.

Many of these flaws and deficiencies are forgivable, however, taken in the context of Holiday's position in Carnival's marketing plan. Over recent years Carnival has aggressively developed the Gulf Coast by moving a Holiday-class ship to a city which previously had not home ported a major cruise line, and sailing short cruises to the Western Caribbean. This strategy yields a triple enticement for first-timers: short duration, affordable fares, and a pier that can be reached by automobile. First time cruisers, ipso facto, have no other ships to compare with Holiday, so the ship does not suffer so badly by comparison. Thus these sailings get extremely positive local reviews and word-of-mouth, generating repeat customers, and an expanding market, for which a larger ship (usually Fantasy-class) moves in to service.

But it is not only lack of prior cruise experience that generates such enthusiasm and forgiveness for Holiday's physical shortcomings. There seems to be a genuine "esprit de corps" among crew and staff in most departments tending to this oldest and smallest ship of the glitziest fleet on the seas, and the result is a level of service in most departments -- both in warmth and efficiency -- we found to be superior to most of our previous experiences with the line.

A bit of history: In the early 1980's when I lived in Los Angeles I often sailed with my family on three-night Baja California cruises aboard an older, outmoded ship called the Azure Seas. This 15,000-ton, 800-passenger vessel was already 30 years old and showing her age. What Azure Seas lacked in glitz, glamour and bells and whistles she made up for with compensatory warmth and personal service -- much like Holiday to Alabamans.

In the early nineties, Carnival moved Holiday to Los Angeles to compete for passengers in the same three-night sailings. I sailed that itinerary aboard Holiday a decade ago. Ironically, it was Holiday then who was the "new kid on the block," state of the art, glittery and glitzy, but lacking the warmth and caring service found on the nearly decrepit Azure Seas. How the tables have turned!

But the question remains: What will happen when Holiday and Celebration, both clearly in the sunset of their lives in the U.S. market, are retired? Currently, Carnival has no ships on the drawing board in the 50,000-ton range, and no current plans to develop any in the future. However, Holiday is scheduled for an extensive, 19-day dry-dock in late 2005, so design changes and upgrades are possible. We'll stay hopeful.

Holiday sails four- and five-night Western Caribbean voyages from Mobile, Alabama. The shorter itinerary calls only at Cozumel, Mexico. Five-night trips call on the Yucatan mainland as well; alternating sailings calling at Calica/Playa del Carmen, or Costa Maya.

Tip: Since this ship caters so heavily to drive-to-pier business from locals, at the time we reviewed her there was literally no meet-and-greet service at Mobile's airport (it's hard to picture arriving at an airport for a cruise and not seeing a phalanx of folks waving clipboards with cruise line names on the back, and shouting "Follow Me!" but it's true for Mobile). So it's not tough to correctly surmise that there is no transfer service to the ship either. To make matters a bit worse cabs can sometimes be scarce, especially during disembarkation at the cruise terminal.

There is an easy solution. The Mobile Regional Airport operates a shuttle service between the airport and cruise terminal. Advance reservations are essential. There is special pricing for cruise passengers ($15 per person roundtrip versus $30), but you must mention that you are booked on the Holiday at the time of booking your transfers to receive your discount. For reservations call 251-633-0313 or 800-357-5373, or log on to www.mobairport.com/ground/index.asp.

Public rooms

Nearly all the public rooms on Holiday are tightly clustered on two decks, Admiral and Promenade. One can trace the age and evolution of Holiday by the changes in style and usage its public rooms have gone through. The aft-most lounge on Promenade Deck, once a high-tech virtual reality experience, is now Doc Holiday's, a country western bar. Carnegie's Library now also houses the ship's Internet cafe. There are two mid-ship groupings of bar/lounges. The more forward grouping is devoted to socializing and gaming, and is still geared to a Broadway theme. The large "set piece" emblematic of this area in the Holiday class ships is a vintage bus, and the sitting area forward of it is dubbed Times Square. The bar serves the typical cruise ship casino on one side (the smoking side) and those wishing to socialize on the other.

The aft block of lounges is devoted to entertainment and libations, with the aforementioned Doc Holiday's appealing to the two-step and line dancing crowd, Tahiti to music lovers and Reflections for the late-night disco aficionados.

Tip: One thing we wished for was canapes and appetizers at the bars during happy hours. We found a solution when we had had more than our fill of goldfish crackers and salted nuts. It was a simple matter to have our late afternoon/early evening drinks at the inside Wharf Bar -- and it was just a few steps from there to the pizzeria, sushi station or even the French fry bins at the sandwich/deli station, all of which served as dandy appetizers.

Activities

Entertainment

Anyone who has ever sailed on any Carnival cruise in the past can write up a report on Holiday's daily onboard activities from memory. There's the usual spate of pool games, hairy chest and knobby knees contests, bingo, horse races, art auctions, trivia games, and the like. The casino provides slot and blackjack tournaments. As on all the ships in the fleet, the cruise staffers double as on-stage performers in the evening production shows. Again, because of a seemingly genuine camaraderie among the workers on this less-than-glitzy, far-from-new vessel, there is an elevation of the fun level over some of the ships in the line.

Carnival is known for its flashy Vegas-style reviews, and, on Holiday's four-night itinerary there were two such shows, the other two nights featuring individual variety acts and a typical "Welcome Aboard" show.

There is an extensive list of shore excursions, including some rarely seen on other ships' lists. For example, though every cruise line calling at Cozumel has a scuba excursion, Carnival offers scuba divers the opportunity to dive the Chikin Ha cenote (cenotes are underground caverns filled with crystal-clear fresh water). And, though many lines offer off-roading in the Yucatan in four-wheel-drive vehicles, Carnival offers doing it by jungle bike. The shore excursion department personnel are knowledgeable and helpful. If there is a fault at all it's that the staff pushes both shore excursions, "recommended" stores and purchase suggestions far too aggressively.

Once the sunset, the fun has yet to reach its climax. Once you are within Carnival Holiday's perimeters your entertainment opportunities are endless. Our crew specializes in making your cruise memorable to the max. The Carnival Holiday is equipped to suit any and every preference. Our accommodations consist of leisure hot spots from our non stop action Gaming Club Casino or taking a load off and having a drink at the Wharf Bar and Grill.

• The Americana Lounge providing top-notch singing, dancing, comedy & more
• Gaming Club Casino - nonstop action
• Reflections Dance Club - disco
• Tahiti Lounge
• Doc Holiday's - smaller show lounge
• Rick's Cafe American
• Cappuccino's Bar
• The Bus Stop Bar
• Wharf Bar & Grill
• Electronic Game Room

Fitness and Recreation

Holiday has two pools on Lido Deck for adults, and a separate children's pool area one deck down on Promenade Deck. There are sunning areas around the pools on both decks, as well as overlooking the pool areas from Verandah Deck (one deck up). The aft sunning area on Verandah is topless. The mid-ship sunning area on Verandah also has a pair of whirlpool hot tubs.

Holiday has a typical Steiner of London spa operation located mid-ship on Verandah Deck. Steiner spas are a familiar shipboard fixture to seasoned cruisers. Competent, efficient and offering a full slate of treatment options (from typical massage and relaxation to various herbal wraps, scrubs, toning and skin care), Steiner's main fault is their high-pressure selling techniques. Don't be surprised if, while being massaged, your masseuse informs you that the oil she is using is available for sale, but that they are down to their last six bottles, so you'd better put in your order soon.

Steiner also operates the fitness facility but it must be noted that Holiday was built in an era when physical workouts were low on the priority list of Carnival's guests, and both the diminutive size and limited numbers and varieties of workout machines reflect this. A relatively recent addition is the inclusion of a golf learning center on Lido Deck aft complete with an onboard PGA pro who conducts clinics and gives lessons, utilizing the V1 golf instruction computer. Golfing excursions, packaged by Elite Golf, are offered through the ship's shore excursion department. There is a jogging track on Lido Deck (five circuits equal one mile).

Family

Families are as much Carnival's long suit as is its reputation as the cruise line for high-energy twenty- or thirty-something couples and singles. Minimum age accepted for passage is four months. There are no adjoining cabins and, other than suites, no "family cabins" per se. About 25 percent of standard cabins have third and/or fourth upper bunks.

Camp Carnival is divided into four categories: Toddlers (2 - 5), Juniors (6 - 8), Intermediate (9 - 11), and Teens (12 - 15). There's a playroom for children under 3. Babysitting is available in cabin at a rate of $6 for the first child, $4 each for additional children. Group babysitting is offered gratis in the children's playroom; check for hours of operation onboard. Daily kids' specials are offered in the dining room, and there is a standard children's menu comprised of the usual suspects: chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, peanut butter and jelly, etc.) Teen-only shore excursions are offered and walkie-talkies are available for rent. A fountain fun card for unlimited soft drinks and juice is available for $16 ($22 for "kids" over 21).

Fellow passengers

Holiday attracts mainly fun-seeking Alabamans and Mississippians looking for a short spate of high-energy hijinks. The onboard bars were most crowded during the times their TV's were running NASCAR races. Carnival's reputation for family friendliness attracts families as well depending, of course, on the school vacation schedule. Greater numbers of families can be expected when Holiday's inaugural season in Mobile enters periods of traditional school vacations.

Dress

Since most of the days on these sailings are sea days, daytime dress tends heavily toward beachwear and cutoffs. There is one formal night, with a fairly high compliance rate -- most men opting for suits or sport jackets. Women tended to glitz up more than the men. On the remaining nights casual was very casual, the only no-no's being beachwear, tank-tops and shorts.

Gratuity

$10 per person, per day is automatically charged to guests' onboard accounts.